So far, we have covered major scales, key signatures and minor scales. Now have you ever ask yourself how one earth could we use such massive informations? Now, now don't panic. We will be discussing it little by little and piece by piece until we see the big picture, MUSIC!

Here we will discuss how major and minor scales relate to each other and how to go round about them. So we can use them with ease as we progress into the seemingly unending world of music.





Relative Relationship

- if a major and a minor scale have the same key signature, then they are said to be in a relative relationship.

We can easily find the relative minor of a given major scale by going to 6th degree of a major scale and start climbing up there until the next 6th degree up or down.














The example above is on key of C Major and the relative minor is A minor since the 6th degree from the tonic  is A.

What if you were given the minor scale and you were asked to give its relative major? Simple!
Just go to the third degree of a given minor scale and you will find its relative major scale.














































Another way of illustrating the relationship of major and minor scales is through the use of the circle of fifth.


You do not know how to use the circle of fifth? Don't worry, just look at it clockwise and you will find that they are a fifth apart in terms of distance. The purple colored area with capital letters are the Major scales while inside the bluish region of the circle are the relative minor of each  Major scale. The inner most circle shows the key signature of each scale.
Looking at it counter clockwise gives you the circle of fourths.










Parallel Relationship


- when a major and a minor scale starts on the same tonic, or their first degrees are both the same then they are said to be in a parallel relationship.